Sleep Tight
by SiriusBalisticPretzels
Summary: Many things ended that fateful day years ago when he stood knee deep in rubble and ash with his normally vibrant hair stained black with muck and soot from the world burning around him. That day the war ended. A story about the end of the war and the remberance of the fallen (Lavicentric).


**I wrote this a long long time ago and just recently posted it on tumblr. When I was going through old documents I thought why not post it. It's not my best, but a far cry from my worst. I think I'll come back to it one day, but for now I'll leave it as is and see what people think. There are probably errors…I apologize. Hope you like it.**

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.:Sleep Tight:.

The end of the war felt like the beginning of a new tragedy. The hopeless darkness was met with the foggy grim light at the end of the crumbling tunnel. The pain and hardship that had brought them together to fight for a common cause was replaced with empty grief. They were doomed to be forgotten, their sacrifices recorded and hidden away never to be known to the ignorant or remembered by the future generations. They were simply done.

Forgotten.

It was time to move on to the next obstacle life threw at them. But where would the go? Who would they go to? When they got there, what would they do?

The next step was an unknown entity. One that many had not lived to take. And those who had did not know how to take it.

Many of those who remained formed a large circle surrounding the area where the source of destruction and mayhem that has plagued the world for centuries lie dead. A thick sword plunged deep within the cavity of his chest. The sword of the Allen Walker, traitor of the Order and the 14th Noah. He seemed like the final step between freedom and confinement.

Their savoir and their enemy.

The circle grew larger as many drew back a hefty distance from the body of the fallen Earl and the wounded body of the defector in fear that Allen would spring from his prone state on the jagged rubble and massacre the survivors. Some looked away their teeth clenched tight in restraint as an animalistic cry of pain ripped from the boy. Others watched in sympathy and a few looked on in disgust.

The teen's skin was flickering between an ominous gray and a sickly white. Blistering cuts and gashes drenched the right side of his chest in a nasty scarlet and painted the ground beneath him. His clothes barely clung to his wound riddled body and his chest rose and fell sporadically as jagged breaths and cries of anguish left his mouth. His once exotic white hair, the color of freshly fallen snow, was now matted with blood and fading to black at the roots spreading downwards slowly.

Allen's back arched and he screamed as a tremor ripped through him. They all watched motionless as he clawed relentlessly at the metal plate over his left shoulder letting out a choked sob.

A girl with shoulder length brunette hair, tousled and cropped at odd angles, stumbled through the crowd frequently tripping her own feet in her dazed attempt to get to the boy in the center. She broke through the front barrier of the crowd her arms outstretched as she carelessly pushed those in her way to the side. She only got a few feet before her exhausted legs gave out beneath her and she collapsed in a heap on the ground. She winced as the cracked gravel and loose glass cut her exposed legs and dug into the palms of her hand.

She cried out in despair and slammed her hand harshly against the ground. She tried to push herself up only to fall hard on her side. Frustrated tears tracked down her dirt and blood covered face. Her eyes closed tightly as she screamed loud in anger at her own helplessness. Her shoulders shook with uncontrolled sobs.

The smoky color slowly crawled across Allen's body like a virus. Creeping and crawling along his body till almost half of the pale skin was a solid gray. Many of the surrounding crowd broke out in tense whispers. One of the remaining exorcists took a step forward the silver bands around his wrists glowing green.

End the problem before it has a chance to begin…..right?

A hush fell across the crowd as a singular male made his way through the crowd, his red hair making a striking contrast to the ashen dull color surrounding all of them. His lone green eye was focused forward. His jaw, speckled with the makings of a nasty bruise, was set in a firm line. His trade mark headband rest frayed and tattered around his neck leaving his dirty vermilion hair splayed messily across his forehead. He walked with a slight limp in he left leg. Blood stained the formerly white pant leg a haunting scarlet.

Many stepped out of the young man's way allowing him to pass without problem. Others tried to stand firm and form a feeble blockade preventing him from reaching the body. Such attempts were futile as they either wilted under the cold look in the man's eye or were removed from his path by force.

He stumbled slightly over his bad leg falling into the body of a fellow exorcist with a knotted brown ponytail and a pair of murky brown eyes. The red head pushed off of the man's chest and stumbled forward a few steps before he was stopped by a harsh grip on his forearm. He looked back to find a pair of blazing hazel eyes.

"What do you think you're doing, Bookman Junior?" The words came out with a chilling bite to them.

Lavi yanked his arm from the arm away from the pull and grit his teeth as the frayed fabric of his jacket chafed painfully over his skin. His green eye narrowed dangerously as he surveyed the crowd around him full of identical inquiring faces.

"I am going to Allen."

"He is a traitor!" The words were loud and accusatory met with many nodding heads and spiteful eyes.

"He is a savior. He saved your life," his words were clipped and cold. "He saved all your lives and this is how you repay him? Stand around watching as he dies." Lavi spit at the ground at the man's feet. "Disgusting, all of you."

The joyous and carefree demeanor of the red haired teen many of them have come to know over the years had disappeared without a trace. This _man_ before them was cold and furious. His shoulders locked upright and his jaw set tightly. He turned his back to the crows and tried to make his limp less pronounced as he continued forward.

Lavi stopped when he reached the sobbing girl no more than 15 feet from the crowd eyeing the spectacle.

"Lenalee," the voice lost the harsh edge to it and came out as a cracked whisper. A shadow of the teen that once was, but could be no longer be.

"L-Lavi, I couldn't g-get-t-t to hi-him," Lenalee hiccupped and rubbed her cheeks smearing dirt and blood caking her ivory skin. Stray hair clung to the moist flesh and her eyes were flowing endlessly with fresh tears.

"I'll take you with me," he spoke softly and knelt beside her awkwardly as he injured leg jutted out to the side. He wrapped an arm under her shoulder and shifted her weight on to him more as she struggled to push her own weight off the cracked gravel beneath them. He cried out in muffled pain as the weight shift brought about an unpleasant ripple of pain shooting from the tips of his toes to the roots of his hair.

"S-sorry," Lenalee sniffed trying to shift to a better position for both of them.

"Mm," Lavi hummed. His teeth clenched as he tentatively stood upright. His body tilted at an uncomfortable angle under the added load of a partially limp Lenalee. He huffed in a breath as he bumped her position up a little higher on his arm.

The two walked forward leaning heavily in to the other to stay upright. Ignoring the scornful and regret filled faces in the crowd behind them. They stumble over jagged rock jutting hazard from the ground. Lavi's grip tightened around Lenalee as they drew closer to their fallen comrade.

When they finally reached the body of Allen, Lavi and Lenalee took a seat beside him. Lenalee reached out and brushed the wet hair away from his face. She gave Allen a shaking smile as her eyes dribbled with fresh tears.

"You're going to be alright," her fingers twitched and her shoulders tensed as the grey marring Allen's skin flared. "It's going to be okay," she whispered more to herself.

"Lena….lee…" Allen's chest rose and fell rapidly as he spoke.

"I'm here Allen and Lavi too," Allen's head twitched to the side catching a glimpse of Lavi's blurred red hair.

"So….nice…."Allen muttered his head lolling up towards the sky. His words tumbling out in unrecognizable sounds. His eyes fluttered.

"Allen! Stay here, stay with us. It's going to be okay, but you have to…you have to stay here…okay?" Lenalee choked over a sob as she grabbed Allen's hand and held it tightly to her chest.

Allen's eyes opened again and he looked dazedly at Lavi. His silver eyes were dull and quickly fading.

"I…neeee…"Allen trailed off his head rolling back again. His back arched as another cry ripped from his throat ending in a series of hacking coughs bringing forth a sickly black liquid from Allen mouth. "I need you…to…to kill me." Allen's eyes flickered with a familiar light that Lavi had seen so many times before.

"What?" his voice was hushed and Lavi thought perhaps he had not heard him correctly.

"I wan….want you to …." He paused as his breathing became ragged again, "kill….kill me….before it's too late."

Lavi looked down at the grey peeking through Allen's bloodied chest and slowly climbing higher.

"Not…much time…" Allen murmured.

"No!" Lenalee shouted. "No you can't give up! Please, Allen. Please," she begged.

Allen looked at her with a shaking smile. "I'm….d-dying….can't let the…. Noah win…"

Lenalee's sobs grew louder as the gravity of Allen's wounds became increasingly clear. He would die either way. However, if Lavi used the clown crown Allen would die as himself, taking the bastard Noah with him.

"Hurry….please…"

Lavi closed his eye tightly as tears pushed their way through. He stood on weak leg walking over to the corpse of the Millennium Earl and began tugging at the sword plunged into his chest.

Lavi finally freed the large sword from the dead tyrant's chest. His shoulders hunched slightly under the weight of the sword straining on his tired arms. His palms burned and the leather of his gloves charred as Allen's innocence rejected his touch violently. He grit his teeth and hulled the sword beside Allen resting the tip in the gravel beside the fallen exorcist.

Lavi's eye stung as he took in a deep breath trying to accept what he was about to do. He looked up his eye meeting Lenalee's teary gaze. She clutched Allen's twitching hand tightly between hers. She closed her eyes tightly moaning in defeat.

"Hu….Hurry….." Allen panted his head lolling to the side, "….can't …..hold on…..much l…..on…..longer…"

Lavi bit back a sob and wiped the tears from his eye hastily and nodded. He gripped the gold handle ignoring the sizzling of his flesh against the hot metal of the hilt. He used the last of his strength to lift the sword high and plunged it into the chest of Allen Walker.

The noise that ripped from Allen was deafening. Lavi collapsed to his knees hunching over and clutching his ears. Lenalee too curled away from the tragic sound clutching her ears and screaming alongside him. Those in the crowd stumbled back in shock and pain.

A deep black cross burned into Allen's chest. Putrid purple smoke rose from the wound dispersing and acrid smell through the air. The screaming seemed to go on forever. The anguished sound burned into the memories of all present.

Slowly the grey began to recede into the black wound till Allen was left an ashen white. His white hair matted to his head with sweat and blood. Slowly the cries died down to ragged pants.

The 14th Noah was gone. _Destroyed._

Lavi crawled over to Allen's side across from Lenalee. He watched solemnly as Allen's chest rose and fell minutely. He glanced at Lenalee finding her eyes trained solely on Allen's face.

"Ma…ired…..far…nough….." Allen moaned through chapped lips. Lavi looked up to Allen's face.

"What?" he asked softly leaning forward.

Allen's silver eyes opened slightly. They were glassy and unfocused as they looked _through_ Lavi into something the Bookman could not hope to see.

"Ma….na…."Lavi's shoulder's stiffened at the name of Allen's beloved and deceased surrogate father, "I'm so….tired….." Lavi heard vaguely Lenalee break down into uncontrollable sobs, "have I walked….far….enough?" Lavi looked away and wiped the tears trailing from his green eye with the back of his sleeve.

"Yes, you've done very good. Now….Now it's time to sleep," Lavi's voice broke and he grabbed his friend's hand tightly ignoring the stinging pain that shot through his arm. "I'll be there when you wake up…..I promise."

Allen's lips curled into a small smile, "….Alright…Goodnight Mana…" Allen's voice trailed off and his features went slack. The light grip on Lavi's hand was released and the limp palm slipped from the red head's grasp.

Lenalee cried out to the heavens as she threw herself over the cooling blood soaked body of Allen Walker. Lavi's green eye remained trained on the sightless eyes of the boy's. He couldn't seem to pull his gaze from the milky silver eyes that would never light up with laughter, or spark with annoyance at his stupid nickname, never to shine with compassion and understanding. Eyes that would never show signs of life again. Dead, cold, unfeeling, unknowing, unseeing eyes.

Dead.

Lavi tentatively reached a blistered hand out and place it over his friend's eyes bringing the cold flesh down upon those dead eyes closing them off to the rest of the world.

Lavi drew back on his heels regarding the face of Allen Walker once again. He looked as though he were truly sleeping now. The remnants of the small smile still tilted his lips upwards. Truly the epitome of Allen Walker's personality. Through all of the horrible things that had happened to him in life, he still was able to leave this world with a smile on his face.

Lavi himself allowed himself a small smile in memory of his friend. No matter what Bookman had taught him over the years, no matter how many times he reprimanded Lavi, lectured him, Allen Walker would always and forever be his friend.

The red head looked to Lenalee still sobbing over Allen's corpse. He placed a gentle hand over her shoulder drawing her attention. He walked around Allen and crouched before Lenalee he clasped her shoulders with his hands and pulled her into a hug. They sat there for awhile. Lenalee gripped his jacket and sobbed into his shoulder while Lavi ran the untouched flesh of his hand over her back in small circles. His own eye streaming with silent tears as his shoulders shook mutely.

They sat together crying and comforting each other next to the body of their dead friend.

Slowly Lavi drew Lenalee to her feet and together they walked back towards the crowd. Those still standing and watching cleared a path allowing the two to pass.

Silence dominated the atmosphere.

The two walked until Allen, the Earl, the survivors, the wreckage, the _war_ was behind them. All that was left was vast open space leading into the unknown. Lavi stopped and let go of Lenalee watching silently as she walked forward a few steps and then turned and looked back to him a small sad smile playing on her lips.

"Maybe I'll see you again someday La….Bookman Junior," her smile was sad, but her eyes flickered with understanding. "Be safe."

"You too," he inclined his head lightly a small smile of his own.

She began walking forward again alone. She stopped again a few feet away.

"Never forget, okay? Never forget who Lavi was, who Allen was, or Kanda or me…Never forget us. Someone has to remember the sacrifices that were made and the lives that were lost. Someone has to remember why Allen died and what he died for…..what he died protecting. You can't let the truth of this war die with us, you are the only one who can make sure that someone remembers. Even if it's only those who become the future Bookmen. Someone has to know. Never forget. I promise I won't forget who Lavi was. So promise you won't forget this either."

"I promise," he replied staring at her with a serious expression.

She smiled again and turned. He watched as her back disappeared in the distance as she left to face the world on her own. Forever remembering the nightmares of her past and the sacrifices of her friends.

Lavi turned back and looked at the faint outline of the demolished town where the body of the Destroyer of Time lay. True to his prophetic title, a new time was about to begin. And an old one laid to rest. Lavi turned to his side and began walking away from the remnants of the Order survivors and the body of his friend, away from Lenalee, and towards his own predetermined path as a Bookman.

He would remember. No matter if he stripped away the name Lavi and took up a new title, no matter how much time passed, he would remember.

"Goodnight, Allen Walker."

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**What'd you think?**

**It was one of my more favored pieces when I wrote it...oh I'd say at least a good year ago. I'd be happy to know your thoughts even if you didn't like it. Perhaps some suggestions on how to improve it?**

**Hope you enjoyed it.**


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